New Year's Revolution
by Akayla's Pierced Heart
Summary: Starts at "Devil's Trifecta." The past comes back to bite everyone during the holiday season. Brynn and Gibbs learn new things about each other, and old secrets put the team/family in danger. Sixth in Brynn/Gibbs arc. rated for violence just to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

**((Starts at "Devil's Trifecta." Brynn and Gibbs both learn new things about each other.))**

Brynn tapped her desk with her right index finger. Her eyes scanned the monitor in front of her and the tapping continued. This was one of her OCD quirks that made her coworkers happy that her cubicle was in the farthest corner of the cyber crimes office. She was so engrossed in the report she was re-reading, she nearly jumped out of her chair when her cell vibrated on her belt strap.

" Su-Sutter." Her automatic greeting was slightly hesitant as she waited for her heart beat to return to normal. She really needed to work on not being so easily startled.

"I hate it when you answer your phone like that." She grinned at Gibbs' voice.

"You mean like the phone ringing just scared the crap out of me?" She expected a chuckle from the other end. Instead, she got a frustrated sigh. Uh, oh.

"No, with _that_ last name." Brynn rolled her eyes.

"You were the one who suggested it would be better if there weren't two Agent Gibbs' running around."

"Well… Now, there may be three."

"Eh?"

"I need to talk to you… Now."

"You _are_ talking to me… Or, do you mean in person?"

"Can you meet me outside of interrogation?" His tone made her hold back on questioning it.

"Uh… Okay." She heard him click off the phone. "This feels so weird." She muttered before powering down her computer.

In the elevator, Brynn adjusted the simple braid she had assembled her hair into that morning. She had been experimenting with different hair styles lately. The braid was easiest and still managed to make her look professional. Now that her hair was growing out, a pony tail reminded her too much of a cheerleader. And her usual bun done with a clip, had just become boring. Gibbs liked her hair down, but she hated having to constantly throw it out of her face.

Okay, so obsessing over her hair had taken up at least thirty seconds of the trip to meet Gibbs. But now she needed something new to think about, so she wouldn't drive herself mad with worry before she even got to Gibbs. He had sounded too different on the phone. Something was definitely bothering him. And why the hell did he want to meet her outside of interrogation?

"I need another distraction." She looked down.

Her new shoes were very comfortable. She hated heels. These were not unlike her old Doc Martens, but they didn't have laces. She wore flat dress shoes on the odd days she wore skirts, but these new shoes looked great with her back slacks. Her dark blue sweater had been a gift from McGee. He knew how cold it could get in the basement and had bought her the sweater with a matching scarf, as a late birthday gift.

"Hello, Brynn." Brynn shot her head up when she heard Tobias greet her. He and Gibbs were both standing outside the door to the observation room.

"Tobias." She greeted him back, then her eyes slid to Gibbs. "What's going on?" Gibbs gave Fornell a glance. Tobias smirked at Gibbs' obvious discomfort. Brynn looked from one man to the other. "Tell me, now." She put her hands on her hips. Tobias grunted back a laugh and disappeared into the observation room.

Gibbs stepped closer to Brynn and sighed. "Tobias was shot late last night." Brynn's eyes widened and her arms dropped. "He's fine," Gibbs shook his head. "Had a vest on. The shooter was Navy. We tracked him back to a bar where we found…" He sighed again. "Diane."

"Diane, ex wife, Diane?" Her hands quickly went back to her hips. Gibbs nodded.

"I'm not too sure what's going on here but… First she lied to us as to why she was there. Then it turns out, she has two fake I.D.'s in her purse. At the bar she was using the name Diane Fornell. Her other I.D. said… Gibbs."

"That bi…" Brynn swallowed. "That woman is using our last name?" Gibbs didn't bother hiding the smirk.

"That… Woman is in interrogation right now. I've got Tony questioning her."

"Well, what the hell am I doing here?"

"Emotional support." Brynn cocked her head and narrowed her eyes.

"You mean, you may need a buffer between you and your ex?"

"I meant emotional support for Tobias, not me. He needs the buffer." Gibbs shrugged. "And I thought you might wanna watch." Brynn grinned and quickly went into observation.

Brynn kept shifting from one foot to the other excitedly, as she watched the interrogation. Her Tiger looked so cute facing the almost feral woman on the other side of the table. He handled the 'Agent Coif' comment like a pro. Watching Tobias lose it, was just as entertaining as the interrogation.

"She's lying, her lips curled." Brynn's eyes narrowed when Tobias said this.

"I saw it." Gibbs muttered back. Did Gibbs know _her_ lie tell? Did she even have one? She'd have to ask him later. Brynn jumped when Vance walked into the interrogation room.

"Damn," Brynn muttered and the other two turned to face her. "It was just getting good."

NCIS

It was an hour later when Brynn decided to call Gibbs and ask for an update. He was checking a lead with Tobias. Brynn nearly fell out of her chair when she learned that Diane was actually an IRS Agent, working some big fraud case. And now, Tobias and Gibbs were being forced to work with her. Brynn wasn't sure if she this was hilarious… Or just sad. Maybe both.

"We're on our way back. Ziva just called with some new evidence. Hopefully we can wrap this up as soon as possible." Brynn heard Tobias scoff in the back round.

"How about I have some lunch waiting for you when you get back?"

"Baby, you know just how to make my day."

"Pizza?"

"You know how I like it."

"Gibbs!" Brynn heard Tobias protest angrily. "Not while I'm sitting right here!"

"We're talking about pizza, dumbass."

"Suuuure."

"Tell him I'll order it extra spicy, just for him," Brynn smarted off. "Sounds like he could use some spiciness in his life." She heard Gibbs laugh, before hanging up.

NCIS

Standing in Abby's lab listening in on the surveillance broadcast from Gibbs and Diane's undercover op, Brynn was having a very hard time not grinding her teeth into powder. As soon as Abby ran into the Cyber Crimes office, jumping up and down and shouting about Gibbs and Diane going undercover at a wedding, the teeth grinding had started. Brynn immediately threw down what she was working on and ran to Abby's lab. There was no visual surveillance, but every word that was spoken came through, annoyingly crystal clear. Brynn had one hand wrapped on her cell phone, and the other balled into a fist.

"Tiger?" she spoke into her phone. "I have you on speaker, can you hear me?"

"Yeah." Tony's voice came through on her phone. Abby paced back and forth, also listening in. "I got you on my Bluetooth in one ear, and Gibbs and the Red Dragon on a headset, in the other." He chuckled. "I just have to remember to cover my headset when I talk to you. Everyone else is in the van."

"Are they in yet?" All Brynn could hear was sappy piano music.

"Yup, they just walked in. I wonder if they'll share a dance. Did you and Gibbs dance at your wedding?"

"You were there, stupid. You know we didn't. There was no music." She knew he was baiting her, but she couldn't help the anger rising inside her.

"Ah, yeah, that was too bad." Brynn scowled. She was about to pop off a snide comment regarding Tony's rendition of 'Thriller' but Gibbs' voice stopped her.

Gibbs- "Oh, I regret this."

Tobias- "I am so glad, this is you and not me."

Brynn couldn't help the snort that came out of her.

McGee- "We're reading you loud and clear, boss."

Ziva- "And we're getting a solid image from the camera on Diane's broach. Which looks much better on you than it did on me, by the way."

Abby and Brynn faced each other at the same time. "Ziva's turning against me." Brynn muttered.

"What?" Tony asked through the phone.

"Not you!"

McGee- "Just be careful not to knock it lose."

Tobias- "Oh, it's not going anywhere. You spent more than enough time attaching it to my ex-wife's bosom."

Brynn heard Tony growl on her phone, which drowned out what was said next.

Diane- "I guess he didn't get enough last night."

"What?" Tobias and Tony shouted at the same time.

"See what happens when you try to make me be jealous, Tiger?" Brynn smirked as she spoke into her phone.

"What makes you think I was trying to make you jealous?" Abby and Brynn both rolled their eyes. Tony was always trying to get cat-fights started.

Diane- "Do you remember how you proposed to me?" This brought Brynn's attention straight back to the undercover op. There was a beat of silence and Brynn knew Gibbs was rolling his eyes. "Yeah, I didn't think so. Don't feel too bad, I don't either."

"Liar," Brynn said, shaking her head. No woman ever forgot that.

"Hey, how did Gibbs propose to you?" Tony asked. "Did he do the one knee thing? Did he make it all romantic in front of the fireplace? Take you some place nice?"

"He, uh… He made me pancakes."

"He made you _pancakes_? That's it? Talk about dropping the ball."

"They were really awesome pancakes!" She could hear Tony trying not to laugh. "Hey, guy who's boyfriend spent last night on a couch with someone else's wife, shut it!"

"That was not cool, Brynnie."

"Wait, what's going on?"

"Diane just made contact with Boyle. She's workin him."

Ziva- "She is a natural." Okay, Ziva really was turning against her.

Gibbs- "She's just bein herself." Brynn groaned when she heard the smile in his voice.

Things got interesting when Diane's cover was suddenly blown. Brynn expected Gibbs to give the order to move in. Instead…

Gibbs- "I'd like to propose a toast."

"What is he doing?" Brynn asked out loud. Abby just shrugged.

Gibbs- "May you two always be as happy, as you are today." Was this some kind of code? "And while I'm at it… I'd like to propose something else. This time to the lovely lady, with the lovely red hair." Brynn almost dropped her phone. "I'm not much for words. Most things are better left unsaid."

"Oh, he better not." Brynn didn't realize she said this out loud. Abby was staring at her wide-eyed.

Gibbs- "It'd be a lot easier if I could just pick you up and we'd start running and… We'd never stop. Maybe I'll still do that. But before I do. I just wanna ask you one thing." Brynn heard a movement and glared at her phone.

"He better not be on his knee."

"He is." Tony chirped.

Diane- "Yes, I'll marry you."

"I'm gonna kill him."

"At least he didn't make her pancakes." She knew Tony was smirking while he said this.

"At least I know whose couch Diane is _not_ sleeping on tonight." She shot back. Yeah, he deserved that. Brynn clicked off her phone and looked at Abby. "Didn't Gibbs' second ex wife attack him with a golf club?" Abby nodded. "I wonder if Ducky will let me borrow a cricket bat."

NCIS

Later that night, after a very silent dinner, Gibbs retreated to his basement. This was one of the very few times when he actually _was_ trying to escape from Brynn. The silent treatment hadn't been what bothered him. It was the hurt look on her face. He knew she didn't want to blame him for her jealousy, that's why she wouldn't say anything. She didn't want him to feel bad about how he'd had to rescue Diane when she got in over her head. But hearing him propose to Diane had affected Brynn.

Throughout dinner, they just kept sending glances at each other. The looks she sent said, 'I'm not really mad at you, I'm mad at her for being an idiot.' He answered with, 'You know I didn't mean one damn thing I said to her.' It hadn't been the first time they'd had an entire conversation without one word being said out loud. Finally the last look he gave her said, 'I just need time to think.' She had only nodded at him as she cleared away the dishes.

Brynn had just finished the dishes when she heard a commanding knock at her front door. She wiped her hands on her faded jeans and turned to answer the door. As she passed Chris playing in the corner of the dinning room, he dropped the Gibbs-made wooden airplane and looked at her, smiling. His full head of dark brown hair was still ruffled from Gibbs playing with him earlier. Gibbs had been after her about getting Chris' hair cut. She just didn't have the heart to see those cute locks snipped short into a baby version of a buzz-cut.

She reached the front door and froze when she saw Diane through the glass. She debated not opening the door, but seeing as how she knew it was unlocked anyways, and Diane was just the type to open it without invitation… Brynn decided to be at least civil, since Diane had been kind enough to knock in the first place.

"Evening, Diane." Brynn greeted her, working not to glare.

"Evening…" Diane seemed uncertain as to how to address Brynn.

Brynn stepped aside and opened the door wider. "Please come in."

"I, uh…" She stepped in. Brynn shut the door and walked into the dinning room. Now that Chris was done playing, he'd be wanting attention. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"Not at all." Brynn lifted Chris and patted down his messy hair. "We just finished dinner." Diane looked at Chris and smiled. Brynn's eyes shifted in time to see Chris smiling back. "Gibbs is downstairs. I assume you came here to talk to him." Diane nodded as she passed Brynn on her way to the basement stairs.

Brynn discretely went to stand at the top of the stairs, just out of sight. She scowled when she heard Diane talking about the 'sweet proposal.' But when Diane said she thought she was wrong to say Gibbs never loved her… Brynn had to lean against the wall. If not for Chris being in her arms, she might sink to the floor. She had never gotten over her insecurities about whether Gibbs really wanted to marry her, or if he had only proposed because she was pregnant and he wanted to do the honorable thing.

But Gibbs' lack of reply to Diane, filled Brynn with a new feeling. It took a second for her to identify it. Hope.

"You gotta give Victor a break." Gibbs' voice made Brynn listen harder.

"Excuse me?" Now, Diane sounded outraged. "Who told you that Victor and I are having prob- ah… It was Chucky. He's such a dead man."

Who the hell was Chucky?

Diane sighed. "Okay, what do I have to give Victor a break for?"

"For being him. And not somebody else." Gibbs was using his quiet comfort voice. Brynn knew this tone well. "You gotta let it go, Diane." Brynn squeezed her eyes shut. "I couldn't." Her eyes shot open. "And… I drove everybody away. And the last thing you wanna be is alone."

"Is that why you got married again? You didn't wanna be alone?"

"I got married because I fell in love." Warmth rushed through Brynn and she was finally able to stand on her own. Something told her that Gibbs knew she was eavesdropping, but she knew he meant what he was saying. "I got married because I found someone who made me feel… Like I wouldn't ever wanna be anyone else. And like she wouldn't want me to be anyone else. I was finally happy to be me."

"You're not so bad… But I hear ya. Unfortunately it might be too late."

"Nah, it's never too ate." Brynn could hear the laugh in his voice.

"How do you know everything?"

"I don't… I just learned how to listen." Brynn smothered a laugh. Yes, he had learned how to listen. He was still having trouble with the taking part, though.

"Maybe I'm destined to spend the rest of my life alone."

"You're not alone."

For several seconds, Brynn didn't hear anything. Then the familiar click-clack of high heels resonated up the stairs.

"I'm glad for you, Jethro." And with that, Diane started up the stairs.

Brynn moved back to the dinning room. As soon as Diane came through the kitchen, the two women locked eyes.

"He's almost two now, right?" Diane asked.

"Yeah. His birthday is in January."

Diane sighed. "I remember when Emily was that age… Is he talking your ear off yet?"

Brynn took a second to consider the fact that she was having an almost nice conversation with her husband's ex. "His first word was 'cup.'" Regardless of who she was talking to, her son was always her favorite subject.

"I'll bet his second word was coffee." Diane smirked.

"Actually, it was 'no.' I was trying to get him to eat some veggies."

"He is definitely Jethro's son." Both women laughed. "I, um…" Diane's smile faded. "I know how much he loves you."

"I know." Chris picked that exact moment to pull on Brynn's ear. "Ah." Brynn pulled her head away from him. "It's time for his bath."

Diane stepped forward. "I have to admit… I took on this case, hoping I'd run into him again. I'm having some relationship problems and I… I was feeling kind of reckless." She shook her head. "But I would never… I just wanted to make sure that there weren't any mixed signals being sent out."

"Oh, there were mixed signals, but I think most of them involved McGee." Brynn smiled again. It seemed to relax Diane.

"Well, I know I'm not exactly Chucky's type." Diane quirked a grin. So, 'Chucky' was McGee… Okay… This explained some things. "I know how happy he is with you." Diane was serious again. "I would never get in the way of that."

"I hope not. Gibbs may be possessive, but it's nothing compared to me, when I get jealous." It was a warning inside of a joke, but Diane got the message. She nodded as she passed Brynn on her way to the front door.

Brynn was in the bathroom, leaning over the bathtub when Gibbs found her. He watched from the doorway as she gently rinsed the baby shampoo out of Chris' hair. He continued to silently watch her until she stood and turned, with Chris bundled in a towel in her arms. She blinked when she saw him, then smiled.

"So, you actually believe your jealousy rivals mine?" he asked, crossing his arms.

"Did you listen in on my entire conversation?" She rubbed Chris' hair with another towel.

"You listened in on mine." He shot back, grinning.

"True." She nodded. He followed her as she took Chris into the nursery. Gibbs pulled out some pajamas for Chris while Brynn finished drying him. "And yes," she smirked when he handed her the clothes. "I do think my jealousy rivals yours." Gibbs cocked his head.

"It does make you get this adorable, scrunched up look on your face." He laughed when she glared.

Once they were in their own room, cuddling up in bed, Brynn thought back to when Diane was being interrogated.

"Do I have a lie tell?" Gibbs' eyebrow went up at her question. "You know, how you can always tell when someone lies… How can you tell when I do?"

"You don't usually lie to my face… When you try to hide something, you just avoid me so that you don't _have_ to lie to me. You squeeze your thumbs when you get really nervous; you already know about that. But you _do_ have a specific lie tell that I've seen."

"And?"

"And if I told you, how would I ever be able to use it again?"

"Wouldn't it be fun to try to figure out my new tell?"

"It was hard enough figuring out the one you have now."

"When did you figure it out?" Gibbs just looked at her. "Oh come on, just tell me when, and I'll stop asking."

"It might bring up… A bad memory."

"I still wanna know."

"When we first met, you used to say that you and your brother were close… When I found out the truth… There was something that you used to do when you talked about him, that you suddenly didn't do anymore."

"Well, if it's something I don't do anymore, you can tell me what it was…" She seemed unaffected by her brother's memory being brought up.

"You started doing it again."

"Okay, when?"

"When you didn't want to admit things."

"You're not going to tell me are you?" She shook his head and smiled. "Not even if I tell you, your lie tell?"

"I don't have one."

"If you say so…" Brynn set her head on the crook of his shoulder.

"I know I don't have one."

"Whatever helps you sleep, dear."

Gibbs couldn't help but wonder… _Did_ he have a lie tell?


	2. Chapter 2

Early Friday morning, just three days to Christmas, Brynn woke up alone. As this was nothing unusual, she just got up and shuffled into the bathroom. She did her business and went to check on Chris. Not surprised to find his room empty, Brynn padded down the stairs, still in her pajama pants and long sleeved shirt. Still not quite awake, she hit the bottom step a little too hard.

"Ow." She tried to stifle the sound.

"Baby?" She heard Gibbs call from the dining room.

She bit back another grunt of pain and made her way into the dining room. Gibbs was sitting in front of Chris' highchair, desperately trying to get Chris to eat his baby cereal. Chris was smashing his lips together in protest. The funny sight made Brynn forget about the pain in her foot.

"You hurt yourself?" Gibbs asked over his shoulder.

"Just me, being a klutz." She shrugged. He just smiled and shook his head.

"Is there some secret to this?" Gibbs asked after another failed attempt to get Chris to open his mouth.

"Want me to give that a try?" Gibbs smiled and stood up. Brynn settled into the seat and set to work feeding Chris.

Just as she had successfully gotten Chris to open his mouth, she felt Gibbs reach out and put his hands on either side of her neck. He bent down and put his face against her ear. "How about I make us some awesome pancakes." Brynn giggled and nodded.

"So Tony couldn't keep his mouth shut, could he?"

"Would you ever expect him to?" Gibbs said, making his way into the small kitchen.

Brynn took a second to contemplate their morning ritual. Gibbs was almost always up first. By the time Brynn had awoken and gotten downstairs, Gibbs was usually done feeding Chris and on his way out the door. He had just recently started taking his time with breakfast. At first, Brynn thought nothing of it, but now she was getting the impression that Gibbs was trying to shove in as much quality time as he could with both her and Chris. Sure, it made Gibbs a little late to the office, but his idea of 'on time,' was an hour early anyways. Brynn liked the change. But still wondered what had brought it on.

Brynn finished feeding Chris while enjoying the sweet smell of maple and buttermilk. She picked Chris up and kept him in her arms while she ate her own breakfast and talked with Gibbs about Christmas plans. Brynn had hoped Jack would visit them, but he had opted to stay in Stillwater. Brynn had been satisfied when Jack promised to come down for Chris' birthday.

Gibbs stayed downstairs and cleared away the breakfast dishes while Brynn took Chris, already snoozing against her shoulder, up to his room. He had been up most of the night with a toothache. After tucking Chris in, Brynn went to get dressed for the day. Her mind was still buzzing with thoughts about Christmas day. Gibbs had been working in his basement on some big gift for her. Even though she had promised not to peek, he still felt the need to put a lock on the basement door. He was really pulling out all the stops this year. It occurred to her then that the extra time he had been spending in the basement might actually be the reason he had started drawing out their morning quality time…

Once inside the master bedroom, she pushed all holiday thoughts aside.

Brynn scowled at the full length mirror tacked on to the bedroom door. She pinched at the skin just barely peeking out of the bottom of her shirt. It wasn't quite a fat roll, but it was close enough to one, that Brynn found herself glaring at her own body. She knew raising a child, while working ten hour days in a windowless basement, would cause some changes in her life… But this simply would not do.

Her body was usually the one thing she could be confident about. She knew she had a great ass. She had been told so enough times. And for a woman in her thirties, she kept her body well trim and toned. But since giving birth to Chris, not that she would ever regret having a child, her body had stopped obeying her commands. She figured part of this just came with age, but still… She pinched her stomach again and groaned.

She hadn't felt comfortable in her own skin for a while now. And since Diane had weaseled her way back into Gibbs' life, Brynn's insecurities were at an all time high. In spite of the conversation she and Diane had on her last visit, Brynn couldn't help but fall victim to the green eyed monster called jealousy. Diane had even admitted to Brynn that she had purposely made sure she'd run in to Gibbs. Even with the constant reassurance Gibbs surrounded her with, Brynn couldn't help but feel like she was falling apart. Blaming it on her changing body was simply her newest way of coping. Brynn's glare intensified. Diane had certainly kept _her_ figure…

The bedroom door opened and Brynn jumped back in surprise.

"What are you doing?" Gibbs stood in the hall, smiling.

"I'm gonna start doing yoga again." Her terse reply made his eyebrows go up in amusement.

"Why?"

"Gibbs." She looked at him like he should know what had her so upset. "I'm fat."

"What?" He choked out a laugh. Her eyes narrowed and he knew she was serious. "Baby, you're beautiful."

"I notice you said beautiful, not thin." Her hands went to her hips.

"Well, I don't think thin is beautiful. Honestly, I like your curves." He grinned.

Her mouth twitched. "I'm still going to start doing yoga again." Gibbs shook his head and rolled his eyes, before stepping into the bedroom with her. As Brynn moved to let him pass her, she felt a sudden flush of embarrassment, as if Gibbs could see right through her and knew what was really bothering her. "I, uh." She swallowed. "I put Chris down." She watched Gibbs pull out some clothes from the dresser. He didn't seem to notice the hitch in her voice. "He must get this from you."

"What?"

"This whole routine thing. Eat, sleep, wake, cry, play; eat, sleep, wake, cry, play." She smirked when he faced her.

"I like to think I leave out the crying part."

"Do you, now?"

"Hey." He protested and tossed the clothes back on top of the dresser. He moved forward and grabbed Brynn around the waist. "I like your body just the way it is." Gibbs wrapped his arms around her as he whispered in her ear. "You don't have to do anything to change it."

"You really like my curves?"

"Hell, yes." He eyed her seductively.

"Yeah… I think I'm still gonna start yoga again." Gibbs huffed and rolled his eyes. "It would be nice to get some of my flexibility back." She cocked her head.

"Now _that_, I have no problem with." He leaned in and kissed her. She could feel him gently pushing on her while still kissing her. Realizing they were headed for the bed, she broke the kiss but kept walking.

"What are you doing?" She asked, smirking.

"Showing you how much I love your body." All thoughts of yoga, left her mind.

Almost an hour later…

Brynn still had her legs wrapped around Gibbs, when she heard possibly the most annoying sound in the world.

"You gonna get that?" She grated her teeth as she asked.

"Hmm, what?" His lips were right against her ear.

"Your phone." Brynn shot her arm out to the bed-side table and grabbed the annoying device. She glanced at the caller I.D. and sighed. "It's Ziva."

"Mmhhh." Brynn shuddered as his lips sent tiny vibrations down her neck. "Answer it."

Brynn flipped open the phone. "Gibbs' phone." Gibbs continued his teasing around her ear and neck. "Uh, Oh, Uh, yeah." Gibbs let his tongue trace a circle where her shoulder met her neck. "Oh, yes… I mean, yeah! I'll tell him when he's done… Um, in the bathroom. He's in the bathroom." Brynn used her free hand to smack Gibbs' shoulder when he bit her neck. "Thanks, Bye." Gibbs chuckled and looked up at her. "You are such an ASS!"

"Did I get a call out?" He was still grinning.

Brynn nodded. "This is the third weekend in a row. Doesn't anyone else work for a living?"

"I ask myself that question all the time."

NCIS

Tim woke up with Tony's arms wrapped securely around him. Ever since he found out that Diane and Tim had spent the night on Tim's couch, Tony had been a lot more grabby than usual. More than once, Tim had woken up to find Tony wrapped so tightly around him, Tim almost couldn't breathe. It didn't help that Tony and Brynn had spent a week locked in a game of 'who can make who more jealous,' by trading snide comments about each other's love lives.

For a few minutes, Tim just lay still, listening to Tony snoring softly in his ear. Then he shifted until he faced his lover. Feeling wicked, Tim reached around and firmly pinched Tony's butt. Tony came awake with a yelp.

"Hey!" Tim laughed at Tony's protest. "You know what they say about payback?" Tim just smiled. But the smile quickly dropped when Tony's cell rang. Tony's pants were on the floor on Tim's side of the bed. Tim reached down and fished out the phone.

"Hello." He greeted the caller. "Oh, hey."

"Who is it?" Tony asked.

"No, he's right here… Okay… We'll be right there." Tim snapped the phone shut. "That was Ziva. Call out."

"Just when we think it's safe to enjoy a late morning." Tony scowled and ripped the covers off himself.

NCIS

Ziva looked down at her phone and sighed. "I am the only one not getting any."

NCIS

Gibbs came stomping into the house. After the day he'd had, he was ready to put his fist through the wall. He hated Tony's father. There was just something about the man that never sat right with Gibbs. And every time he came into town, it was weeks before Tony was himself again. Gibbs just knew Senior would do something to ruin the holiday for his son. Gibbs' temper was just about to get the better of him. But the second he crossed the threshold…

Brynn was sprawled out on the living room floor, on top of a blanket. She and Chris were stacking Lego blocks and laughing together. The brightly lit Christmas tree was casting red and green hues around the room. Brynn's smiling face looked up at him.

"Thought I recognized your crash and bang entrance." Her eyes went back to Chris. "You just missed Mrs. Ross. She brought by a pound cake." Gibbs cringed. As sweet as his neighbor was, she couldn't bake for squat. Brynn chuckled and he knew she was thinking the same thing. "Wanna join us down here?" Gibbs nodded and quickly stowed away his gun, before sitting down in front of Chris. "I'll get dinner started soon." Brynn said absently as she placed another block on the top of the growing tower.

"You know what… Why don't we all go out somewhere?" Brynn straightened up and looked at him. "We could all use a night out. And you're already planning on cooking a big Christmas feast for everyone…" He shrugged and grinned. "So, let's go out."

"Is everything okay?" She cocked her head.

"Everything's perfect." He put his hands on her cheeks and kissed her.

NCIS

The next morning, Brynn was bringing Gibbs a fresh coffee when she almost tripped over Tony. He was lying on the floor, stretching and groaning.

"What are you doing?" She asked while stepping over him. She set Gibbs' coffee on his desk and turned to face Tony.

"Slept on my couch last night…" He groaned and twisted his body.

"Right… So, how was your night with Senior?"

"It's too sad to talk about."

"Drama queen." Brynn laughed. "Where's my husband and the rest of the gang?"

"Timmy and Ziva went to search a suspects house. Gibbs went to talk with Agent Winter."

"Winter? Anyone I should be worried about?" She said it jokingly, but Tony caught the hint of jealousy in her voice.

"I seriously doubt it. She's one of those contest pissers. You know Gibbs can't stand those."

"Hmm." The elevator dinged and Brynn looked over to see McGee and Ziva walking towards them.

"Tony?" McGee asked when they got closer. "You alright?"

"No." Tony groaned again. Ziva looked at Brynn and nodded her head towards Tony.

"Don't look at me." Brynn held her hands up. "I didn't put him there."

Brynn kept herself behind Gibbs desk while the three of them discussed their case. She decided to be cute (or a dork, depends on who you ask) and use a sharpie to draw a heart with a smiley face inside, on Gibbs' coffee cup. It was something she had done several times. McGee alerted everyone to Gibbs' entrance and Tony popped up.

"Agent Winter…" Tony grudgingly greeted the dark haired woman on Gibbs' left. "What are you doing here?"

Brynn connected with Gibbs' amused gaze before letting her eyes drop to the coffee cup in his hand. She glared at the cup and looked back up at Gibbs. He had by now, seen the coffee cup in her hand… And the smiley-faced heart drawn on it.

"I was summoned." Winter's tone reflected her icy stare. "To brief you."

Brynn quickly tuned the other woman out. She turned and handed the coffee she had brought up to McGee. He scrunched his eyebrows at her, having seen the doodle on the cup. She just smiled and patted his shoulder. After sending one last glance to Gibbs, who was still staring at her, she turned on her heel and left.

NCIS

It was Christmas Eve at the office. Technically, Brynn had the day off. But she couldn't stand the fact that everyone but her would be working. So she bundled Chris in his new winter coat and set off for the Navy yard. As soon as she stepped off the elevator, she heard Gibbs ask where Tony was.

Her Tiger was in trouble as far as she was concerned. Something had happened between him and his father, and Tony refused to tell her what. She knew things had been weird between father and son after Tony came out about his relationship with Tim. But this was Christmas… Family was supposed to overcome these things for the holidays.

Christmas always made Brynn feel uncomfortable. She had never been good at dealing with her family when they were still alive, and it made enjoying the holidays, now that they were gone, feel just a little… Wrong. Brynn shook the thoughts away when she felt Chris jerk in her arms. He had spotted his daddy and was squirming, with his arms held out.

"Boss, do you remember that night," McGee caught Brynn's attention. She set Chris down and smiled as he rounded Gibbs' desk and demanded to be picked up. "May 2, 2011?"

"No." Gibbs set Chris on his lap and hugged him.

"Bet you do." Brynn made her way over to McGee's desk and snatched up one of his snicker doodle cookies. "It's the night Navy Seals killed Bin Laden." Brynn mused while she munched on her stolen cookie. What was she doing on that day? She suddenly couldn't remember.

"So we raid Abbottabad, and we kill the most wanted man in the world. Gotta think Homeland put the D.C. area on high alert and increased surveillance."

"Yeah." Ziva said. "They have to be concerned about retaliation." Gibbs picked up a card from his desk.

"What is it?" Brynn asked.

"Secret Service is under Homeland, now." Gibbs set Chris down and pulled out his phone. "We need to access archival surveillance of the D.C. area." He spoke as if he was about to regret his next move. "I gotta call Winter."

"No you don't." Gibbs looked up at her just as a smile spread across her face. His eyebrow came up. "I uh… I know some people at Homeland who owe me." Chris had crossed over to stand beside McGee, again demanding attention.

"Owe you?" McGee asked before puling Chris up.

"Yeah…" She pulled out her phone. "Long story…"

"Can't wait to hear it." Gibbs snapped his own phone shut, his eyes never leaving his now blushing wife.

NCIS

Late that night, Gibbs, Brynn, and Chris were sitting in the their living room. Brynn was still feeling the high from being with everyone in MTAC, watching "It's a Wonderful Life." She watched in anticipation as Gibbs carefully unwrapped her gift to him. It had taken her all month to finally decide what would be perfect for him. She just hoped he wouldn't be too disappointed, or just plain mad.

"A DVD player?" He looked at her curiously.

"I had your dad send me every home movie he could find of you growing up. I sent him back the originals after I had them copied onto DVDs. You can't play DVDs without a DVD player…" She watched his face, desperately trying to gauge his reaction. "Do you hate it?"

"Hate it?" His eyes came up. "Brynn, I love it. This is… You're amazing." His face broke into a grin.

"Oh, I'm so glad." She let out a loud sigh. "I was worried you might… I also found some videos of Shannon and Kelly…" Brynn bit her lip. Gibbs closed his eyes for several seconds before looking at her again.

"Thank you. It's been a long time since I was able to watch those videos… Now, I think I can." He smiled again. "I just hope you love your gift as much as I love mine."

"So I finally get to see the big basement project?"

"Yeah," he set the DVD player down and scooped up Chris. "Come on." He led the way to the basement.

As soon as Brynn hit the last step, her heart flip-flopped. Taking up most of the space in the middle of the basement was a wooden gazebo. The pillars holding up the dome roof, were ornately carved with vine designs. Wrapped around each pillar were white Christmas lights. The soft glow from the twinkling lights filled the basement. Gibbs set Chris down and he immediately ran over to the blinking lights. Gibbs just stood back and watched his son.

When Gibbs looked back at Brynn, he could see the tears she was fighting. He wrapped his arms around her. "Do you like it?"

"Gibbs… It's beautiful. I love it." She buried her face in his shirt.

"It's too cold to enjoy it outside, so I guess the rest of your gift has to happen down here?" He pulled away from her and went to the counter on the far wall.

"Uh… You do realize our son is right there…" Gibbs laughed and shook his head.

"I love that your mind immediately goes to the dirty place. I guess it means I haven't lost my edge, yet." He turned back around and Brynn saw him holding a familiar object.

"That's where my I-POD disappeared to." She crossed her arms.

"I had to steal it for a few days. I heard this song on the radio a few weeks ago and… Since we actually don't have a song, I thought this would be perfect. I had McGee help me put the song on here." Brynn was impressed that Gibbs knew how to hook the little device up to the speakers. "Here we go."

As soon as the music started, Brynn recognized. "I Won't Give Up," by Jason Mraz. It was actually one of her favorites. When Gibbs took her hand and led her to the center of the gazebo, she looked up at him, confused. He put her hands on his shoulders and wrapped his own, around her waist. Very slowly, he started to sway, side to side. Finally, she realized what he was trying to do for her. Unable to hold back the tears any longer, she sniffed and let them fall.

"You realize what you've done, haven't you?" Her voice cracked.

"Made you cry?"

"Well, yeah, that. But you also just seriously set a whole new bar for Christmas gifts. How are you gonna top this, next year?"

"I'll think of something." She smiled and let her head rest on his shoulder as the song played on. They could both see Chris off to the side, copying their swaying motion and smiling. Brynn didn't realize the music stopped, until Gibbs stopped moving. When her head came back up, she was laughing. "What?"

"How are you gonna get this thing out of here?"

"Same way I got the boat out."

"In other words, you're not going to tell me."

"Probably not."

"This is the best Christmas Eve I have ever had."

"Night's not over yet…" Brynn arched an eyebrow at his tone. "I think it's Chris' bedtime."

"I totally agree." She smiled.


	3. Chapter 3

Sergey Novicov typed out the email as quickly as he could. His Washington D.C. hotel offered free WiFi but he still didn't want to spend one more minute than he had to, online.

**Vicky, **

**I don't know if you still check this email address but right now, you are the only one who I'm pretty sure doesn't want to kill me. I hope I'm not wrong. I took something and you are the only one who can help me. My father is looking for me. I need help. I'm in D.C. now. Contact me at this email address. I will check it every day at noon. Pease help if you can. Whatever you do, do not contact my father.**

**- Sergey**

He clicked SEND, hoping that his plan would work.

NCIS

Monday morning… Brynn felt good, walking into the squad room of NCIS. Her thoughts were on her son's birthday, just another three days away. Layla had long since offered to be Chris' full time nanny. Both Gibbs and Brynn felt better about leaving Chris with someone who was family, as opposed to the daycare. And somehow, Chris himself seemed much more agreeable when Brynn picked him up from Layla's at the end of the day. Brynn didn't see anyone from team Gibbs in the bullpen. Not putting much thought into this, she just continued on to the elevator that would lead her to the sub-basement.

Finally at her desk, she powered up her computer. She had several updates to check, and an email alert beeping at the bottom of her screen. She clicked on her internal message box first.

NCIS

That night, Brynn had come home two hours later than Gibbs. This was unusual, but not something that had never happened before. Chris was already sleeping peacefully in his room. Brynn opened the front door as quietly as she could. Her mind was spinning. Just yesterday, her biggest concern was finally getting Chris to a barber for his first haircut. Oh, how life could just unravel right in front of you. Brynn hoped Gibbs was already in bed as she tip-toed across the foyer. Those hopes were quickly dashed.

"Hey." Brynn froze for a second. Her head turned. Gibbs was sitting on the couch in the living room.

"Hi." She called back. "Why are you up?" She set her bag on the table beside the door and went to join him on the couch.

"I was waiting up for you." He pulled her in for a kiss as soon as she sat down.

"You wanna know why I'm home at nearly midnight." It wasn't a question. Gibbs just looked at her. "Just an old case I had to revisit."

"Everything okay?"

"Yeah, but I'm really… I'm, uh, just exhausted."

"Okay." With a look that told her this conversation was not nearly over, Gibbs led her upstairs and into bed.

Gibbs settled into bed with his arms wrapped around Brynn. She rolled over and faced him, burying her face into his chest. One arm swung over his waist and squeezed him a little tighter than normal. Something was bothering his wife. And instead of lie to him, she chose to avoid the subject altogether. Gibbs sighed and closed his eyes.

NCIS

It was just after lunch time the next day, when the team came back from a crime scene. Gibbs immediately left for coffee. Maybe he'd pick up an extra one for Brynn. He rolled his eyes at the thought. Why did she insist on drinking coffee with ice? For that matter, why did she feel the need to put extra cream and sugar in it too? That wasn't coffee. That was… Mutant java.

Brynn felt her stomach drop as soon as the elevator doors opened. She took in a breath and let it out slowly. As much as she was dreading this next conversation, she knew it had to be done. This was her job. She had a responsibility. But family came first… Her feet were moving and before her mind could catch up, she was already in the middle of the bullpen.

"Brynnie?"

"Huh?" She turned in the direction of the voice and saw Tony looking at her with his eyebrows scrunched together.

"Are you okay?" Tony stood up from his chair and for some reason Brynn that couldn't make sense of, she instantly stepped away from him.

"I need to see Vance." Brynn's explanation did nothing to soften the worried look on Tony's face. Before he had the chance to further interrogate her, she scampered away.

"Well, that was just disconcerting." Tony said out loud.

"What was?"

"Nothing boss!" Tony instinctively jumped at Gibbs' voice. He turned and saw Gibbs staring at him with a raised eyebrow and a look that said, 'I know you're hiding something.' Tony forced his eyes away from Gibbs' face. "If that iced coffee is for Brynnie, she just went up to Vance's office."

Gibbs' eyebrow lowered and he frowned. He set both coffees on his desk and made his way to the stairs. Just as he was out of Tony's line of sight, McGee and Ziva showed up.

"Where is Gibbs?" Ziva asked, her eyes sweeping over Gibbs' desk and finding the two coffees.

Before Tony could stop himself, his mouth fell open and he replayed everything he had just witnessed.

Gibbs passed by Cynthia, with barely a nod in her general direction. She was so used to it, she paid no mind to the glare set on his face. He opened the door to Vance's office and stopped short at the scene in front of him. Brynn was standing in front of Vance's desk with one hand on her hip and the other waving in front of her face. Vance sat in his chair, seemingly unmoved at the outburst being thrown at him.

"I'm not leaving my family in the dark this time, damn it!" Brynn's shouting had masked the sound of the door opening. The second Vance saw Gibbs, his eyes widened. Brynn immediately slapped her mouth shut, knowing there was someone behind her. She slowly turned and locked eyes with Gibbs. "Shit." She muttered.

"Something you wanna tell me?" Gibbs directed his question to Vance. Brynn flinched at his demanding tone. Vance stood and ran a hand down his shirt, smoothing out his tie.

"Get your team into the conference room, now." Vance calmly turned to Brynn. "You too, Agent Sutter."

Gibbs scowled at Brynn's maiden name. They had decided it would be for the best, if there weren't two Agent Gibbs' running around. So, Brynn had kept her last name for work purposes only. Her badge actually read Sutter-Gibbs. But Gibbs found that he didn't like it when people called her Sutter. He chalked it up to his territorial issues. And yes, Gibbs knew he was a very jealous man.

Brynn didn't say a word as she crossed from Vance's office, into the conference room. Her hand was still firmly wrapped around the flash drive she had brought up. Without looking behind her, she plugged the flash drive into the screen on the wall. She grabbed up the remote and powered on the screen. When she heard everyone file in, she finally turned, but flinched when Gibbs' stare hit her.

"It seems I can either sanction this," Vance's voice made Brynn break eye contact with Gibbs. Her eyes swept around the room and she realized she and Gibbs were the only ones standing. "Or I can give an order that I know will be disobeyed anyways." Vance cleared his throat. "So, I'm bringing your team in on this, Gibbs." Gibbs let his eyes shift to Vance. "Talley's team will take over your current case." Gibbs' eyes found Brynn again. She seemed suddenly fascinated with the remote in her hand. "Agent Sutter." Her eyes shot up. "Whenever you're ready."

After a very awkward beat of silence, Brynn made herself speak.

"Uh," She cleared her throat and clicked the remote. "This is Sergey Novicov." A surveillance photo of a young looking man with back hair filled the screen. "He is the son of Yuri Novicov, ex-KGB. Yuri is known to be involved in drug manufacturing and selling, arms dealing, and…" Brynn took a breath. "Also human trafficking." Another breath. Why did she have to remember to just breath. Oh yeah, her husband's stare was burning a hole in the back of her head. She turned and faced everyone at the table. "This is why I went to Paris. Yuri was looking for a computer hacker who could help him branch out his network. We intercepted encrypted chatter, and to make a very long story short, we managed to convince Yuri that I was what he was looking for."

"You went under cover?" Gibbs sounded both angry and surprised but still managed not to raise his voice.

"Yes." Breath. "I was trading emails with him and working from here, for months before he demanded we meet in person." Breath in, breath out. Brynn let her eyes move to Gibbs. "I was working on this way before you and I…" She stopped when she saw Vance shift in his chair. "Anyways… While in Paris, I met Sergey. He was young and impressionable. I may have… Exploited this, a little." Why the hell had she said that?

"A little?" Tony shrank in his chair as soon as the words left his mouth. Gibbs was standing right behind him.

"I was undercover, doing my damn job. I had to get as much intel as I could on their operation." Brynn's voice suddenly hardened. "So, yes, I did what needed to be done, without compromising myself." Tony shrank even lower when her glare zeroed in on him.. "I was pulled from the assignment before we could move in with our evidence."

"Why were you pulled?" Ziva asked.

"Because she was pregnant." Vance spoke up. "As soon as she told me, I had her taken off the mission." Vance and Gibbs exchanged a look. "Go on, Agent Sutter."

"According to Yuri's people, I got into trouble with the authorities and had to go underground. By then, my work was pretty much done anyways. They didn't want me linked to them if I did get caught, so they didn't argue when I said I needed to leave." She clicked the remote again. "The email address I used for the case is still active. I set up an alert so I would know if anyone tried to use it. I got this, yesterday." She magnified the email so they could all read it.

"Vicky?" Tim asked.

"Vicky Miller was my cover." She clicked the remote again to reveal another email. "This one came in today." She heard Gibbs growl as he read it. It detailed a time and place for a public meeting at a café.

"He wants a meet with you?" Tim looked at Brynn and shook his head. "That's too dangerous. There's no way to tell if he really wants to turn in evidence, or if his father sent him here to shoot you." Tim snapped his mouth shut when he saw Gibbs glaring at him.

"How does he even know you are in D.C.?" Ziva asked.

"I don't know." Brynn lowered her eyes. "I was sure, I left Paris clean. But we don't even know that he really does know where I live. All we know is that he is in D.C. and he wants a meeting here."

"Or maybe your cover was blown." Gibbs' voice was low. Brynn suddenly glowered at him, throwing him off guard.

"That's why you will all be at the meet with her." Vance stood as he spoke. "I want every precaution taken: surveillance, snipers, full coverage in and around the café." He looked right at Gibbs. "I'm only giving you the lead on this because I know giving it to anyone else, would be pointless. No other agent here would accept it." Gibbs couldn't help but lift one corner of his mouth. "We've got two hours. Get it done." Vance left the conference room.

Brynn quickly turned and retrieved her flash drive. Again, she had to tell herself to breath. She knew the look Gibbs was giving her. There was about to be a fight…

"Tony, you and Ziva set up a perimeter at the café. McGee, you set up the surveillance. Pull as many agents as you need."

There was a chorus of "on it, boss." Then Brynn found herself alone with Gibbs. It was several minutes before she swallowed a lump in her throat and finally turned to face him. The fact that there was a large table between them, did nothing to comfort Brynn.

"Were you ever going to tell me?" Her eyes widened at his tone. She knew he was working to stay calm.

"Not if I never needed to." Lying would be useless and really just an insult at this point.

"What?" And here comes the yelling. "What do you mean, not if you never needed to? I think this was something I needed to know about _three years _ago!"

"Excuse me!" His anger brought out her own temper. "I was undercover on a _classified _assignment. I couldn't tell you! You know that better than anyone!"

"So you just threw yourself into danger! Without even thinking about the consequences!" He quickly rounded the table and stopped right in front of her. "What if something _had_ happened to you?"

"Do you know how hypocritical you sound right now?" Brynn let out a sarcastic laugh. "So, it's okay if you constantly run into the fire, but the second I do it, it's unforgivable. You can get hurt, stabbed, shot, blown up, but not me?"

"No! You can't!"

"So now, it comes out." Brynn smirked triumphantly at him. "I'm just a tech head who needs to be stuffed down into the basement. Just a helpless little paper pusher, not capable of holding a real field assignment."

"Brynn." Gibbs finally realized he had said the wrong thing. "I'm not saying you aren't capable." He tried to calm them both down.

"Really? Cause if I remember correctly, and I know I do cause it just happened, you did… Rather vehemently." She stepped forward. "As much as you may hate it, I am a Federal agent too. I _am_ capable of being in the field. And for the record, this was not my first undercover assignment." Gibbs cocked his head and opened his mouth. "Did you ever think to ask why I was transferred down to Cyber Crimes?"

"Why?"

"I spent almost a year undercover on my very first assignment. It wasn't unlike the Paris case. By the end of it, two agents were dead, and I got blamed. They blew their own cover, but because I survived, _just barely… _I got the brunt of the blame for the screw up. It was easy for Director Morrow to just send me downstairs, instead of taking the chance that a green agent might screw up again." She sighed and made her body go limp. "Honestly, I was happy to be sent down there. Better that, than being fired. And you should remember how little faith Morrow had in female agents."

Gibbs wanted to kick himself. So many things suddenly made sense. Brynn's constant apprehension, second guessing her every move, double checking everything she did… If you get told so many times that you're a failure, you eventually believe it. And Brynn had self-confidence issues long before she came to NCIS. Just when she had started climbing out of her shell, here he was, trying to shove her back into it.

"You're right." Brynn's head shot up at his now quite tone. "We are both Federal agents. And you are more than capable of field work."

Brynn's jaw dropped. How had she won this?

"Can you blame me for being overprotective?" All Brynn could do was shake her head. "We need to get you ready for your meet. You're wearing a wire and a vest. And I want you armed too."

Neither of them knew it, but Ziva, Tony, McGee, and Abby were all in Abby's lab huddled around her big screen. None of them had been prepared for what they had heard while eavesdropping in on the conference room. They had managed to tap into the security cameras right as the yelling started. As soon as they saw Brynn and Gibbs leaving the room, they quickly scattered from the lab.

NCIS

Gibbs was a very unhappy man. The look on his face had kept the poor café waitress at bay, until she had to deliver his coffee order. That same mug still sat in front of him, full of cooling coffee. He had insisted that he be one of the agents in the café. Dorneget and Swenson were at a booth closer to the back. Another field agent, Rinker, was at the bar counter. McGee and Tony were in the surveillance van in the alley near the back entrance to the small eatery. Ziva was positioned in a car across the street, where she had a perfect view of the table where Gibbs was now seated. Several other agents were set up on rooftops, and seated on benches outside.

When Brynn told him she needed to go home and change, Gibbs hadn't thought anything of it. It had been one of those weird days when she had worn a skirt to work. He figured she would want to be comfortable for her undercover meet. But when she walked into the café wearing knee high leather boots (not quite the clunky ones Abby wore, but more feminine), a long sleeved black blouse, and skin tight black jeans… Gibbs wanted to grab her and drag her away from every male eye that fell upon her. Maybe even the female ones too… He hair was down, tumbled and wind-blown. The leather jacket she wore, had to be borrowed. Gibbs had never seen it before. But it made the bulky vest and gun he knew she was wearing, less noticeable.

As soon as she walked in, even her walk was different, she let her eyes sweep over the entire café. Gibbs was sitting at the very last booth, up against the wall. Brynn kept her eyes on him as she made her way to her seat. He flinched and narrowed his eyes when she sat with her back to him. The waitress approached her and smiled. Gibbs couldn't hear what Brynn ordered, but the waitress quickly brought her a cup of ice and a cup of hot coffee. Gibbs fought the urge to grin. Even undercover, her coffee habits were the same.

"Any sign of our target?" Gibbs discretely spoke into the mike on his wrist. For some reason he couldn't make himself say the name of said target.

"None so far, boss." Tony's voice came through on the earwig, shoved into his left ear. Brynn flipped her hair back, grabbing Gibbs' attention. This time, he didn't fight the grin. She hated her hair in her face.

"You all set… Agent Sutter?" This was McGee's voice. Again, Gibbs grinned. McGee was trying to sound professional, but Gibbs knew how worried McGee really was.

"Mm hmm," was her only reply. Gibbs wanted to reassure her that he wouldn't let anything happen to her, but there was really no telling how many other agents were listening in on this conversation. If he made her look weak in front of everyone, she'd be pissed.

Gibbs let his eyes turn towards the big window beside him. A quick glance told him no one was approaching the café. His eyes quickly went back to Brynn. She was leaned over the table, her hair covering both sides of her face. She propped her elbow on the table and let her face rest on her hand. She stayed like that for a full three minutes before something caught her attention.

"Got him." Brynn's voice was quiet in his ear. "Black bomber jacket." Gibbs' eyes shot to the door, just as it opened.

"Vicky." Sergey went straight to her. Gibbs gripped his coffee cup when Brynn stood up and hugged the younger man. Before she sat down, Brynn played at flipping her hair, but really used it as a chance to shoot a look at Gibbs. The wink she sent was the signal they had set up to tell him that Sergey was armed. Gibbs tried to tell himself that the hug was only to check for a gun…

"Heads up." Gibbs said quietly into his mike. "He's armed."

"You're in trouble aren't you." Brynn's voice came through clearly on the wire.

"I want out, Vick. I need out."

"How did you find me?" She suddenly sounded angry.

"I uh… I found your passport one night when you were at the hotel with dad… I looked in it and saw you flew over from Dulles. I figured it was a long shot you'd come back here, but I went for it."

If not for the fact that Gibbs had read all the mission notes, he'd be pissed that Brynn let someone see her passport. But part of her cover was that she once worked at the Pentagon. It was no surprise someone would look for her in D.C. But making Sergey think she didn't want to be found, only added to her credibility.

"So, you went snooping through my personal things, practically stalked me all through Paris, and now you want my help. What makes you think I'm willing?" Gibbs cocked his head to the side. Why was she playing hardball like this? "After the way we left things…" Gibbs straightened in his seat.

"I'm sorry about that." Sergey leaned in closer to her. "Can we put it behind us?"

"Give me a reason."

"How about six million dollars."

"Keep talking."

"My dad has all his money hidden in four bank accounts. I managed to get a hold of a hard drive that has all of the bank account's information on it. But the whole thing is encrypted."

"So you brought it to me?"

"If you unlock it for me… I'll pay you six million."

"Why the hell would you risk this? I know your father. There's no way he would hesitate to kill you for this… Or me, for helping you."

"I got into some trouble. I got someone else into trouble. She…"

"You got some girl pregnant, didn't you?" Gibbs saw Sergey nod. "I never thought you'd get caught up in some romance novel. So, what, you gonna run away with this girl?"

"That's the plan."

"Where's the hard drive?"

"I'll take you to it."

McGee's voice came over the earwig, voicing Gibbs' exact thoughts. "Don't you _dare_, Brynnie."

"You really think I'm just gonna follow you somewhere?" Brynn said after a two second pause. Gibbs let out a sigh. "I don't trust you, with damn good reason."

"Okay, I'll meet you somewhere."

"How do I contact you?" Gibbs put his hand on his gun when Sergey opened his jacket. Brynn didn't even flinch.

"Call me at this number when you wanna meet." He wrote something on a napkin and slid it to her. "But it's gotta be soon. I don't know if my dad even knows I have the hard drive. If he does…"

"If he does, you just killed us both." Brynn snatched up the napkin. "And your pregnant girlfriend."

"You're not gonna call him are you?"

"Are you insane? I had my reasons for getting out when I did. You think I want back in that life? It almost got me killed. No, thanks." Gibbs glared down at his coffee cup. She had some explaining to do, later. "I've been more than happy, laying low. The last thing I need is to pop my head back up and get it shot off."

"I always knew you had something… Some _one_ waiting for you. I could see it. You'd get this look in your eyes, like you were missing someone. Even when… But I get it, now. I know why you wanted out."

"Don't start sharing with me, now. I may have to rip my ears off, if you get any sappier." Brynn stood up and threw a few bills onto the counter. "Just be ready when I call." Without glancing back at Sergey or Gibbs, she left the café.

"Wow…" Gibbs heard Tony mutter over the earwig. "Brynnie's alter ego has some claws."

"I can still hear you, DiNozzo." Brynn sounded annoyed.

Gibbs stayed in the café for five more minutes until Sergey left. "I want agents on him." He gave his last order to Dorneget and Swenson, before heading back to the Navy yard.

NCIS

"Abby's got a trace going on the number he gave me." Brynn ignored the door opening and shutting behind her. She kept her eyes on Vance and continued her report. "Dorneget and Swenson are still tailing him." She could feel Gibbs walk up and stand right behind her.

"Where and when are we having this next meet?" Vance let his eyes slide to the man behind Brynn.

"Tomorrow at noon. We're getting surveillance set up at an internet café that rents out private booths. It'll be private enough for the meet, but pubic enough that we can rush in if we need." Gibbs spoke to Vance, but his eyes were on Brynn's back.

"Agent Sutter," Gibbs was starting to get the feeling that Vance only used her maiden name to piss him off. "You spent a lot of your undercover time with Sergey Novicov. Do you believe this story about wanting out?"

"I believe he wants his father's money." She heard Gibbs shift behind her. "He could be telling the truth. It's also possible, he thought making up some sob-love story might convince me to help him. He's always been a manipulative little weasel."

"I don't think you should go home tonight…"

"But Director," Brynn started but Gibbs interrupted her.

"He's right." Brynn finally turned and faced Gibbs. "It's too risky. We'll stay at a safe house until this is settled. I'll call Layla about Chris."

Brynn was ready to argue until Gibbs mentioned Chris. If anyone managed to follow her, cover blown or not, she would _not _risk leading them anywhere near her son. She nodded at Gibbs and left Vance's office.

Brynn didn't stop until she reached the elevator. Her mind was set on retrieving her clothes and changing. She had borrowed the boots and leather jacket from Ziva. They had both fit, but Brynn found them annoyingly uncomfortable. She felt like she couldn't move properly. She knew Gibbs wanted to talk to her, but she hadn't counted on just how determined he was. An arm flew out and stopped the elevator doors just before they closed.

"Shit." Brynn muttered. Gibbs arched an eyebrow as he stepped in to join her. Her shoulders fell when he reached out and flipped the emergency stop switch.

"Haven't heard you cuss this much in one day, since you gave birth to Chris." His calm voice immediately confused Brynn, causing her guard to shoot up.

"I know you want answers."

"Am I gonna get any?"

"I'm begging you to save your questions for later. I need to focus right now."

"Okay. Later then…" He reached up and flipped the switch. The elevators sudden movement made Brynn reach out and grab Gibbs' arm.

"You should go home tonight." Gibbs looked at Brynn like she was crazy. "Gibbs, one of us should go home to our son."

"Oh, no. You don't get to do that." The elevator doors opened and he stepped out.

"What are you talking about?" Gibbs twisted around and faced her, holding one arm out to keep the doors from closing.

"We made a deal, remember?" She shook her head and shrugged. "If you're working, I'm working too. I'll go home, when you do." He smiled as he saw the memory come back to her.

"You're throwing _that _back at me?"

"This is the only chance I've ever gotten to. So, yeah."

NCIS

The rest of the day was a dull blur of prepping and planning. Brynn had snuck in a chat with Layla, explaining the situation, and saying goodnight to Chris. Gibbs had run home to pack them both bags for their safe house stay. Brynn hadn't seen the need for the army of agents escorting them both to the safe house, but she knew protesting would only be met with an argument.

Finally, Brynn and Gibbs were left alone in the small one-room house. They were in the middle of nowhere, so there was no internet. The T.V was busted, and Gibbs hadn't thought to bring her any books, so she was stuck playing Free Cell on her laptop. Gibbs had spent the last forty minutes (Brynn was timing him) on his phone, checking and rechecking everything for the undercover sting. When he slapped his phone shut, she quickly closed out her game. He sat across from her at the small kitchen table.

"Any chance I might get some of those answers?" He asked, frowning.

"What do you wanna know?"

"Were you really almost killed?" His eyes hardened when she let out a sigh of relief.

"No. They just think I was. I needed a really good reason to leave. So we set it up to look like the authorities weren't the only ones after me. I was shot at… But it was all planned."

"Why does this Sergey guy think there was something between you two?"

"I told you, Gibbs. I needed information. No better way to get it, than to flatter someone." Gibbs nodded. He had done it too…

"Did you request going undercover?"

"Are you kidding me?" She suddenly straightened. "I think you should remember me being pissed about having to go to Paris." He nodded again. "Vance gave me this assignment before you and I ever dated. And going undercover was never my intention."

"You seemed to… At the café today, it was almost like you were having fun with it…"

"Honestly, I kind of was. It felt good to know I could still do it."

"You're pretty good at it. I can see why Vance didn't hesitate to send you out again."

"You know what I loved about being undercover? I could be someone other than, that girl whose parents ignored her. That girl whose brother turned out to be a sadistic monster. That girl who's just a geek. I got to be Vicki Miller: a strong, independent, sassy, and sexy badass. I liked being her. It was… Empowering."

"Brynn," Gibbs shook his head and smiled. "You _are_ her." Brynn rolled her eyes. "I'm serious. You know, the first time I met you, you scared the hell out of me." Brynn cocked her head and raised an eyebrow. "I mean it. You were pretty intimidating. I was a jumpy, nervous mess around you, constantly. You always seemed to have the upper hand. The first time I saw any vulnerability in you at all, was the first time you came to my house."

"When I thought you weren't interested in me…" The memory washed over her.

"Then, the more time I spent with you, the sassier and sexier you became. You were always calling me out on my B.S., not letting me get away with anything. Watching you lose your temper scared me and turned me on at the same time. You were just damn fierce."

"Were, being the operative word?"

"Brynn…" He sighed. "After you testified against your brother, you changed. I think you finally felt safe enough to let yourself shine. You didn't run and duck behind your wall of excuses anymore. Vance could see that. I think that's how he knew you were ready for field work again. He was the only one who knew you had ever been undercover. But _I_ had no idea what was going on, so I didn't see it like he did. I didn't know what you were capable of. I also didn't know that Morrow had put that doubt in you. I never knew you even wanted to do field work. All I knew was… Vance was sending the woman I love on some assignment. And to be honest, I was happy thinking you were safely tucked in a hotel room on a laptop, surrounded by agents. I didn't want to consider you might be…"

"Surrounded by gangsters and thieves?"

"Yeah." He shook his head. "Even now, I don't like to think about it… But you did it. And you did it without any of my help. That _has _to show you something about yourself. Vicki Miller isn't some alter ego, or super hero. She's just who you let yourself be, when you don't have me around to jump in front of you."

"But then I lost my memory… And the scared little Brynn came back."

"No. You can't look at it like that. If anything, you came out stronger, after you finally faced your grief. I know all about hiding from grief. I know what it takes to work through it. You did it a lot more gracefully than I did. That took courage."

"I can't tell who you are trying to give a pep talk to, me or to yourself…"

"Little of both." He took a moment to just look at her. "You can do this. I have faith in you."

"Still feels nice to know you have my six."

"Well, it's a very nice looking six." He smirked.


End file.
